Glenn Kaino

The lungs of our planet are under threat, invaded by carbon emissions, plastics and man-made pollutants. As part of the Getty Center’s PST ART initiative, Breath(e) considers the connections between climate change, environmental justice and social justice through the lens of contemporary art. This book features approximately 45 works focused on climate change by a group of intergenerational contemporary artists, scientists and activists, addressing deforestation, ocean acidification, coral reef bleaching, water pollution, extraction and atmospheric politics. It features six major new commissions, including a living bee sculpture by Garnett Puett and a garden created by Ron Finley, that extend beyond the art world to make tangible contributions to the protection of our climate.
Artists include: Mel Chin, Ryoji Ikeda, Mika Tajima, Cannupa Hasker Luger, Yoshitomo Nara, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Otobong Nkanga, Clarissa Tossin, Zheng Mahler.

Published for the Los Angeles–based interdisciplinary artist Glenn Kaino’s (born 1972) largest exhibition to date, In the Light of a Shadow, this book showcases his work and how art can chronicle parallel trajectories of disparate political and geographical contexts, utilizing history to speak about our present, and art to facilitate political action and hope. Kaino has built his career in the space between these two; creating projects that are based on the magic of trust, fair promises and righting the lapses in memory and omissions of history, all while creating beautifully hopeful and immersive installations.
This Book Is a Promise is organized in a galaxy-like structure, with different aspects of Kaino’s production over the years represented as intertwined constellations. Additionally, the book reads in two directions, Memory and Promise, each with their own cover. The Memory side presents a retrospective survey, while the Promise surveys the MASS MoCA exhibition. Themes explored include equity, visibility, belief, regeneration and space-making. This publication gives context to Kaino’s diverse practice, provides promises for people to follow to live in a better, more humane world and serves as a field guide to being human.